N00213:153
A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherein…A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherin…
A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherein is showed, I. That the children of godly parents are under special advantages and encouragements to seek the Lord. : II. The exceeding danger of apostasy, especially as to those that are the children and posterity of such as have been eminent for God in their generation. : III. That young men ought to remember God their creator. / By Increase Mather, teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Nine lines of quotations]A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherin is shewed, I. That the children of godly parents are under special advantages and encouragements to seek the Lord. : II. The exceeding danger of apostasie, especially as to those that are the children and posterity of such as have been eminent for God in their generation. : III. That young men ought to remember God their creator. / By Increase Mather, teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Nine lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by John Foster, 1679
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Our Fathers did like David, He prepared Materials for the Temple, and then left it to his Son to go on with the Building: So did our Fathers, leave us Principles of Truth, which they did with much cost and pains, dig out of the rich veins of the Scripture. We have need therefore to be much in Prayer, and Humiliations before the Lord, that so he might vouchsafe to show us the form of the House, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof.
Our Fathers did like David, He prepared Materials for the Temple, and then left it to his Son to goe on with the Building: So did our Fathers, leave us Principles of Truth, which they did with much cost and pains, dig out of the rich veins of the Scripture. We have need therefore to be much in Prayer, and Humiliations before the Lord, that so he might vouchsafe to shew us the form of the House, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof.
2. Let us make Conver•ing work our main Design. Shall we be content to go to heaven alone, and not strive to carry as many of the Generation we live in, along with us as possibly we can? Alas Apostasy will prevail, and these Churches cannot be kept pure long except converting work go forward. O therefore let us preach for this, and pray for this, & study for this, that precious immortal Souls may be converted to God through Jesus Christ. And to this end it will be good for us to attend personal instruction of those under our charge, as far time as & strength will permit us. I remember it is noted in the lives of Chrysostom and Austin, that besides their public Labours, they did sometimes attend personal Instruction of these and those of their hearers. When the [*]Ministers in Geneva did agree to divide the City, so as to call each Family to an account concerning their Faith: more good was […] thereby then by all their public Teachings. […] me [l]